Power windmill



Feb. 12 1924. 1,483,301

G. C. HALKIAS POWER WINDMILL Filed June 6, 1.922

25GB Q7 IN VENTOR get/ja/kms A TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

enonen c. nanxms, or new YORK, N. Y.

WINDMILL.

Application flled une 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1,;GE 3GE. C. HaLKIAs, a citizen of Greece, residing at -ldew' York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power TWindmilIs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto wind inills particularly to that type which serves to generate electricalpower, the main object being to provide a wind mill with adjustable vanes or blades and so designedas to overcome the speed variations owing to the change in wind speed, giving it asubstantiallyconstant speed. i

Another object is to provide an electrically operated means associated ,with the wind mill, so that when the effective areas of the aforesaid vanes or blades are varied, the voltage generated remains substantially constant Without greatfluctuation.

These and other oh-jects vvill become ap parent in the des riptionpeld fin ,Which characters of reference refer 'to \the' likenamed parts in the drawing.

Referringfbriefly to the-drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevationalYiew'of the wind mill the rim support braces being oniitted, and showing the vanes in extended position.

Figure 2 is a side ,elevational view of Figure 1 showing theentire dev'ice mounted on a pedestal.

Figure 3 is va framentary sectional elevational view thru one of the wind vane masts.

Figured is a wiring diagram ofthe electrical controlling means forthe wind vanes; the entire circuit to the generator is also shown.

Describing the drawing in -detail, .the numeral 1 indicates a hollow pedestal which is preferably mounted in place where the device is at all times exposed to the wind. A shou-lder 2 on said pedestal seats a bracket 3 provided with bearing lugs i in which the main shaft 5 isrotatably mounted. A rudder vane 6 aligned with the axis of said shaft extends outwardly from the rear bearing and guides the device directly into the wind.

An annular ring-7 concentrically mounted about the shaft 5 by the angular support braces 8, the latter being secured to the said rim at spaced intervals and converge toward the end of the shaftb, to which they are secured by a suitable bolt 9.

1922. Serial m seagsa.

. A plurality of radially disposed masts 9 areprovided w'itlicollars 10', thelatter being rotatably inountedomthe' spindles "11. I Said spindles pass thrutheriin 1 and haver'elav y. ar epl ley .12 s cur l "n to." A spider bracket 13 rigidly-m0 ted on the shaftb lias a. plurality of ra'dially jsp'aced cars .14 each of ,vvhich provides a support for a mast 9 and also journals the lower end f spin p I A dru n 15 secured to thelower end of the spindle 11 hasa flange iethereon." A cable 17 or other like means 'hasitsone end securedto the eriphery of saiddruin15 and describes a militant turnsther'eon.

' A spring 18 mounted on thespindlell between the lower collar 10 and the support has its upper end fat tached to the'collar 10 w hich rotates wanna ma-st" 9? The lower end ofsaid spring issiinilarly secured to the ear 14, the later being fixed with respect to the axis of the meet 9*; "Said'spr'ing when not under restraint rotates them'ast 9 and p lleyj12 and-exposes the extreme area of the vane 24 tothe sandy" An arm 21 issecuredto the rim 7 beneath each of the pulleys12 andexten-ds outwardly parallel to the'axis of shaft 5 The-outer ends of said arms pivotally support idler shieve wheels .22. An endless string 23 connects the'pulley-12 of one *In'as't with the shieve wheelf22 supported on the adjacentarmm. c a 7 Each of the masts has one edge of a substantially triangular vane 24 tacked thereto. Said I vanes are preferably composed ofa tough and extremely flexible material, such as sailcloth or canvas. The'vertex. of each vane is permanently connected 'to its corresponding string 23.

A face plate Q5 i's slidab ly mounted in a substantially central'position on the'f'shaft 5 and has a collarf26 integral therewith in which achannel'l27 is formed. *The aforesaid cables 17 are securelyfixed' to'flthe' face plate 25, as" illustrated in Figure 2' A yoked lever 28 is engaged in the annular channel27 and slides with the "latter. Lugs 29 projecting from the side of the pivoted brackets 3 form bearings ini wh'i'ch the yoke lever slides.

A bevel gear 30 pinned to the shaft between the main bracket" bearing"'lugs 4, meshes with "bevel pinion 31'," the latter mounted vertical transmission shaft 32iwh1ch has a tear ears?) secured to its lower end. A similar gear 34 in mesh with the said gear 33 drives the main shaft of a generator 35.

A reversible electric motor 36 mounted at some point distant from the device has a Worm gear 37 secured to its shaft said gear 3'? meshing with and driving a worm 38. A drum 39 secured to the worm 38 has one end of a wire cable 40 secured thereto which passes around a series of grooved pulleys 41 and has its opposite end attached to the yoke lever 28.

In use, after the device has been installed, electrical current is generated in the generator35. by the rotation of the main shaft 5, the latter being moved by the vanes 24 in an obvious manner. Gears 30 and 31 transmit the rotation to the vertical shaft 32 which is connected to the generator shaft by the gears 33 and 34.

The main feed lines 42 and 43 are directly connected to the generator The voltmeter 44 is primarily designed to indicate the voltage between two positions, as for instance 110 and 120, the former being the low and the latter the high point. Leads 45 permanently connect the voltmeter to the feed wires 42 and 43. A pivoted needle 46 which contacts with either of the high or low points of the voltmeter is also permanently connected to the main positive feed wire by alead 47. A plunger solenoid 49 is connect ed in series between the low contact terminal L and the negative feed wire 42 of the generator thru the lead 48. A second solenoid 50. is connected between the negative feed wire 42 and high point H of the voltmeter by the lead 51. The plungers of the solenoid 50 and 49 are provided with axially spaced apart contacting lips 52 which are insulated from each other. A lead 53 fixed above thelip 52 of the plunger solenoid joins the main feed Wire 43, and a similar lead 54 diametrically opposite provides a negative lead to the motor 36. Both of said leads are bridged and closed when the plunger is attracted into the solenoid 50. The lower lip of the plunger 01"- solenoid 5O bridges a lead 55 joined to the main feed wire 42, and a similar lead 56 connected to the positive terminal of the motor 36.

The upper lips of the plunger of solenoid 49 similarly close the circuit. when the plunger is attracted by a lead 57 which is connected to the positive motor lead 52, and a lead 58 which joins the lead 53 and passes to the generator 35. A lead 59 joining the main lead 42 and a lead 60, connected to the negative lead 54 of the motor 36, are bridged and closed when the corresponding lips 52 of the plunger solenoid 49 are attracted.

When in operation the vanes 24 rotate the entire device with the shaft 5, which rotation is transmitted to the generator 35 thru the gears 30 and 31, and 33 and 34.

When the wind is of relatively low velocity the voltage generated by the generator 35 will be lowered and indicated by the needie 46 which will move to the L side of the voltmeter 44. in so doing, the circuit thru the lead 48, between the voltmeter and the solenoid 49 is closed. W hen said circuit is closed the solenoid 49 is energized and retracts the plunger. The plunger lips 52 close the auxiliary motor circuit and cause the drum 39 to pay out the string 40 which rotates the masts 9 thru the drum 15, and thus presents a greater vane area to the wind so that the rotation of the generator is speeded up.

Similarly when the generator speed is increased above the H terminal or": the voltmeter needle 46 will close a circuit and will energize solenoid 50 and retract its solenoid 52. The latter closes the auriliary circuit and causes the motor to rotate in an opposite direction thus taking up the string 40 and paying out its cables 17 The said cables rotate the masts and roll the superfluous vane area thereupon, the speed of the generator being thereby lowered until the needle 44 leaves the terminal H.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the speed of the shaft 5 is governed by the voltmeter which prescribes the limits between the H and L terminals.

I claim 1. A device of the class described comprising a pivoted main bracket, a shaft rotatable therein, an annular rim about said. shaft, radially disposed spindles having hollow masts integral therewith, flexible vanes on said mast-s, pulleys on said spindles, rollers oiiset from said pulleys on each of said spindles and adjacent said pulleys, a string connecting a mast pulley with the roller of?- set from the adjacent mast, the free ends of said vanes being secured to said strings. means for furling said vanes upon the mast, and means for automatically unfurling said wind vanes.

2. A device of the class described comprising a pivoted main bracket, a shaft rotatable therein, a rim secured about said shaft and adapted to rotate therewith, hollow masts radially mounted on said rims, spindles in said masts, drums on said spin- (lies, a reversible type of motor mounted distant from said fan device, vanes mounted on said masts adapted to be furled when the said mast is rotated, means connecting said motor with the spindle drums, said motor adapted to rotate the spindle drums when rotated, spring members wound about said spindles adapted to rotate said masts to unfurl the vanes, and means for controlling the speed of said device within fixed limits.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE G. HALKIAS. 

